1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a headlight of a motor vehicle and to a method for controlling a light distribution thereof, more particularly, it relates to a headlight that automatically corrects its light distribution pattern to compensate the effect of inclination of the vehicle main body that may appear when the vehicle is turning its direction and relates to a method for controlling the light distribution. Thus, a headlight according to the invention is particularly suited for use on a motorcycle.
2. Background Art
FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a conventional motorcycle headlight. The headlight 200 comprises a housing 201 that contains a light source 202, a mirror reflector 203 having a focus where the light source is arranged and provided with an aiming device 203 for adjusting the lighting direction of the headlight and a lens 204 disposed at the front aperture of the housing 201. A headlight 200 having a constitution as described above is secured to the body 21 of a motorcycle at stays 201a, 201a of the housing 201 by appropriate means such as screw bolts.
The mirror reflector 203 can positionally be adjusted relative to the housing 201 by the aiming device 203a in order to correct the lighting direction only within a very limited range and therefore such a device is normally used to correct any directional errors of the headlight that may exist if the headlight is inappropriately fitted to the main body. Additionally, such adjustment requires the use of a tool and hence cannot be carried out while the vehicle is moving.
The motorcycle turns along a curved road, tilting its body 21. Thus, if the motorcycle turns left, the conventional headlight 200 rigidly secured to the body 21 of the motorcycle is also tilted leftward with the body to show a light distribution pattern D indicated by solid line in FIGS. 14 and 15, which is particularly ineffective to illuminate the vitally important left half of the view to be seen by the driver.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a headlight of a motorcycle that can automatically correct its light distribution pattern to compensate the effect of inclination of the main body that may appear when the motorcycle is turning its direction and a method for controlling a light distribution thereof.